Back when Nick Diaz was just a purple belt he faced the Brazilian MMA legend and BJJ black belt Jorge ‘Macaco’ Patino. Diaz back then shocked the grappling world when he tapped Macaco out with a rolling kneebar.
Nick Diaz has a rich grappling background. He started training Sambo at age 16 under Bulgarian National Sambo Champion Valeri Ignatov.
Around this time, after seeing Renzo Gracie in MMA, Diaz started training MMA under Steve Heath at the Animal House gym before starting BJJ and MMA at Cesar Gracie’s academy.
Diaz was promoted to black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by Cesar Gracie on May 8, 2007.
